Page 2 Thursday, June 29, 2011 The Gunnison Valley Gazette Christenson places in Miss Utah Pageant By John Hales SALT LAKE CITY—One of Gunnison's own is now royalty. Hannah Christenson was named as fourth attendant to Miss Utah at the Miss Utah Scholarship Pageant last weekend. To be fair, Christenson has been royalty for a long time, though for much of that she's been the queen. She was Miss Gunnison in 2009. Just a few months later, she was named Miss Sanpete. She participated in Miss Utah in 2010, shortly before her reign as Miss Sanpete came to an end. Then she became Miss Rocky Mountain, the title that qualified her to make a second run at Miss Utah. (Miss Rocky Mountain is an independent pageant open to any woman age 18 to 24 from anywhere throughout the state). At Miss Utah, Christenson competed against 49 other contestants to earn a spot among the royalty. She says her first time at Miss Utah helped her the second time around. "I just learned a lot of confidence," she says. As fourth attendant, Christenson says she really won't have to do much. "I'm there to support Miss Utah and to support the organization," she says. If the reigning Miss Utah can't make it to an event, she might call on her attendants to azette Waters flood the corral yard of Gunnison farmer Mark Coates west of the city. o ti a es unntson Va ey oo Hannah Christenson, left, stands as the 4th Attendant in the Miss Utah royalty, named Saturday at the Miss Utah Pageant. Other royalty members are (I. to r.) 2nd Attendant Ciera Pekarcic, Miss Utah Danica Olsen, 1st Attendant McKenna Wheeler and 3rd Attendant Shelby Dixon. go in her place. "Other than that, I just hang around," Christenson says with good-natured laugh. Not a bad gig in return for the $600 in scholarship money Christenson will receive as fourth attendant. She'll use that money to go to Mandalyn Academy in American Fork, an esthetics school where she will study skin care. Her long-term goal is to work in a dermatologist's office. And because of the kind of school it is, she'll receive additional scholarship money from the academy itself just for having gone to Miss Utah. Going to all these pageants, and winning many of them, has given Christenson a good opportunity to promote her platform, "Educate by five: setting a firm foundation in early education." She even uses a Gazette interview to talk about it. "Ninety percent of brain growth happens by the age of 5," she says. "It's essential for parents to be reading to their kids, getting them into preschool if they can, and just emphasizing education early on." But other than scholarship money and the chance to educate people about a topic she deeply cares about, there's something else that's kept Christenson competing in pageant after pageant. "The scholarship money is great," she says, "but it also just helps a person just be their best self. You have to work on your talent, you have to sharpen your inter- DON'T MISS THE BOAT! • 100% Purchase Money Available Now • Refinance while rates are at AN ALL TIME LOW! • Call Kenny King 80B-892l4799 Willow Creek Lending (formerly Premier Financial) ear-loa EIMNTE1 D Purchase or refinance as low as S T 801-891-4799 4.375% 30-Year Fixed* Call and get qualified NOW before it's too late! year fixed *APR of 4.92(1/. 30-year term S125,000 loan amount 3.5% Down. Rate subject to change without notice. OAC Color Guard at Gunnison's 4th of July Parade • 1959 Sponsored by Local farmers feeling effects of flood waters view skills, you have to be up on your current events. It just gives you a big push to be your best self and work towards a goal." Christenson is ambivalent about whether she'll try to earn another walk down a future runway. "I don't know yet. I'm thinking probably not. I've had a good round, I just might leave on that good note, being an attendant to Miss Utah," she says. "But I do change my mind a lot." By John Hales GUNNISON—"This deal is quite a bummer," says local sheep rancher Paul Frischknecht as he looks out over several acres of farmland buried under water. He talks about the damage the flood is causing when Sheriff Brian Nielson pulls up. "Got enough water," Nielson asks with obvious sarcasm. "Boy, that's really a gusher today," Frischknecht answers, pointing to the roaring Sanpitch River a few feet away. That was Thursday of last week, the same day the Sanpitch peaked. Frischknecht's land is east of Gunnison. "There's going to be considerable expense to put this back into working condition," he says. For him, the cost will be mainly in repairing fences. The volume and pressure of water from the flooding Sanpitch had nearly flattened fenceposts as heavy as railroad ties. Farmers with land west of Gunnison had not only the Sanpitch to worry about, but also the Sevier River, which had seen high water for several weeks already. In fact, it was just earlier on Thursday that the National Weather Service had lifted a flood warning along the Sevier River between Yuba and Paiute reservoirs. Later Thursday evening, Garn Nelson, the water master for the Gunnison-Fayette Canal Co., tours some of those farmlands out west to assess and explain the situation. "I've never seen anything like this since '83," he says while standing on the bank of the Sanpitch. "Nor- Axtell News by AUDREY BOORE Elaine Bjerregaard Hyatt, former resident of Axtell passed away June 17, 2011. Elaine was born in Axtell, daughter of Allen Eugene and Deveda Kristie Johnson Bjerregaard. She was raised in Axtell and attended the valley schools, graduating from Gunnison Valley High School. Elaine married Dearrel Decker Hyatt, July 8, 1939 and raised a family of five sons. Condolences are extended to the family. Elder Drayson Ball, grandson of Rex and LaPreal Olsen, entered the Missionary training Center on June 22, 2011 to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Mexico Merida Mission. This year's 4th of July celebration, "Our Heritage of Service" is honoring the Valley's oldest veterans with five of them as grand marshals of the parade, one from each of the valley's communities. Elwood Sorenson will represent Axtell. As we celebrate the 4th of July this year let us not only honor and remember those who have served in the military but also those who are now serving state side and in many foreign countries to preserve our freedom. May everyone have a safe and happy holiday. The rivers and creeks will still be running high so caution is needed around these areas as Utah has had too many drownings already this spring. CARS 2 204 South 1st East • Gunnison 528-3136 Feeds • Grain Storage • Fertilizer Seeds • Farm Supplies • Chemicals GUNTNISONT VA LL EY Cw azet e Lane Henderson, Publisher Mark Henline, Editor & Advertising Jodi Henline, Office Manager Call: (435) 528-5178 for subscription, news or advertising. FAX: (435) 528-5179 E-mail gazette@gtelco.net The Gunnison Valley Gazette is published each Thursday by Gunnison Valley Gazette, L.L.C., 328 North Valley Drive, P.O. Box 143 Gunnison, Utah 84634. Bulk rate postage (permit No. 11) is paid at Gunnison, Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gunnison Valley Gazette, P.O. Box 143 Gunnison, Utah 84634 Deadlines: News and advertising, Noon, Monday prior to publication. Subscription prices: One year, $25 in Sanpete County, one year, $30 outside Sanpete County. Single copy price 75 cents. Advertising rates available upon request. All articles and photographs submitted for publication are subject to editing and only will be used if the editor deems them newsworthy. The editor reserves the right to hold submitted news items for space reasons. Copyright Gunnison Valley Gazette, Gunnison, Utah 2005. All rights reserved. Reproduction, reuse or transmittal of all matter herein is prohibited without prior written permission by the publisher or editor. WEATHER Thursday 82/49 Isolated T-Storms Friday 88/52 Sunny Saturday 93/56 Sunny Sunday 94/56 Mostly Sunny Gunnison's Weather is brought to you by Gunnison Telephone Co. cfs [cubic feet per second]." He estimated it had been flowing at about 1,500 cfs. Other estimates put it as high as 3,100 cfs, at least further upriver. Nelson points out the field of one farmer. It's covered by water, rather than by the alfalfa that would normally be getting ready for the year's first cut. But not this year, and not just first cut. "He'll lose all year. That water's going to kill all that hay for the whole summer," Nelson says. "Another farmer has lost a crop of grain." It's also going to cost the farmers who don't grow crops, but who use their land to pasture their animals. Normally, flooded pastureland this time of year wouldn't be an issue, with much livestock herded to the mountains for summer grazing. But because of this year's late runoff, the U.S. Forest Service hasn't yet allowed the animals there, either. Instead, Nelson says, "They have to feed them, and it's costing them dearly." One such farmer is Jarvis Sorenson. "We have between 450 and 500 acres that are under water right now," Sorenson says. Sorenson also grows feed, which he is usually able to sell to other farmers. This year he has to keep it for his own animals. The cost, he says, "It's in the thousands of dollars." But he, like most farmers, takes it stride. "The snow came down and the water came up," he says. "There's nothing you can do about it. 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